All language subtitles for BBC.Japan.Earths.Enchanted.Islands.2of3.The.Southwest.Islands.1080p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org.eng

The sun rises on Japan.

More than 6,000 islands on the
edge of the Pacific.

Life here is at the mercy of Earth's
most powerful elemental forces.

From the wilds of the frozen
north...

BIRDS SQUAWK

..to the subtropical warmth
of the south.

Animals along this chain of islands
have had to adapt

in unique and sometimes
bizarre ways.

Throughout this land,

people have developed an
extraordinary relationship

with the natural world.

BEAR GROWLS

Trying to capture its fleeting
beauty...

..and tame its spirit.

But these islands remain wild,
mysterious and magical.

This is Japan.

BIRDS SQUAWK

In Japan's far south,
there's a chain of tiny islands

stretching for 750 miles
towards the tropics.

Isolated in the vast Pacific Ocean,

these islands are ruled by the sea.

Here, you have to live life with
a different spirit.

And the further south you go...

the stranger life seems to become.

SHE SPEAKS JAPANESE

At the top of the chain
lies the island of Yakushima.

A narrow channel is all that
separates it from the mainland.

It's like a lost world.

Its steep slopes are mostly
covered in forest

and some of the trees
are thousands of years old.

A family of Japanese macaques.

They share this island with
another animal...

..sika deer.

Deer and macaques live all over
Japan...

..but here on Yakushima,
the two species live side-by-side.

And the rowdier young monkeys do
something very unusual.

They ride on the deers' backs.

MACAQUE SQUEAKS

Why they do it, and why the deer put
up with it, is not entirely clear...

..but it only happens here
on Yakushima.

There comes a point
when the deer have had enough.

MACAQUE SQUEAKS

But there are advantages to
hanging out with monkeys.

Every day, the macaques forage
up in the trees.

The deer listen for their feeding
calls and follow them around,

picking up what they drop.

It's food they could never
reach themselves.

It's an easy-going relationship.

But even the best of friends can
fall out over something trivial,

like a stolen leaf.

MACAQUE SQUEALS

MACAQUE SQUEALS

No-one really knows why these two
animals have such a close bond...

..but strange things can happen

when you are cast away on isolated
islands.

Enormous volcanic forces created
Yakushima

and many of the islands beyond it.

The sea level rose and Yakushima
was cut off from the rest of Japan.

The deer and the macaques were
marooned together

in this odd little world,

where life could follow
different rules.

This part of Japan lies along a
great rift in the Earth's crust.

It's one of the most geologically
unstable places in the world.

It has 18 active volcanoes.

VOLCANO RUMBLES

Some of the largest in the world.

VOLCANO RUMBLES

Sakurajima is Japan's most
active volcano.

VOLCANO RUMBLES

It has been erupting
nonstop for the last 60 years.

Even so, over half a million people
live next to this smoking giant,

never quite sure
when it might get really violent.

BIRD CAWS

VOLCANO RUMBLES

Every few weeks, it belches out
thousands of tonnes of ash,

covering the city.

It might not seem like the ideal
place to live...

..but with a few simple precautions,
life can be almost normal.

Rocks the size of tennis balls can
rain down at any time.

It gives the school run
an element of peril...

..but these children are used to it.

JAPANESE SPOKEN OVER TANNOY

The school day always begins

with a sweep-up of last night's
shower of ash.

Despite the risks, people have been
living in the shadow of Sakurajima

for thousands of years...

but there are advantages.

The volcanic soil is fertile
and farms crowd the lower slopes...

..but the volcanic warmth brings
unexpected benefits.

On this local beach,
nobody goes swimming.

The water could kill you.

It's hot enough to brew tea.

There's not much
life in the sea around here,

but the resourceful people of this
island have found a way

to create a paradise.

A steaming sand bath.

People travel from all over Japan

to be buried up
to their necks in hot sand.

They've been doing it
for hundreds of years.

They say it improves circulation,
and restores health and vitality.

If nothing else,
it's a nice lie down.

When you live next to a volcano,

you might have to deal
with its dangers,

but you can still relish its
delights.

Heading south along Japan's
island chain,

life becomes more and more
influenced by the sea.

It brings something to these islands

that affects everything
that lives here.

The Kuroshio Current -

one of the most powerful
ocean currents in the world.

Japan's own Gulf Stream.

It surges up from the equator

and delivers 50 million tonnes of
warm water every second...

..and brings a touch of tropical
magic...

..creating the perfect
conditions for coral reefs.

It's only the warmth of the Kuroshio
Current

that allows coral to grow
this far north in the Pacific Ocean.

The current also brings
nutrients from the deep.

There's one very small resident
who never strays far from the reef.

He's a bluestreak cleaner wrasse...

and he leads a very busy life.

He eats parasites and dead skin from
other fish...

..but he has to wait for them
to come his way.

And right now,
no-one is stopping long enough

to give him as much as a nibble.

But then he spots something
worth chasing...

..a batfish.

Like a customer at a spa,
the batfish lies back

and waits for attention.

It opens its gills

and the cleaner wrasse
bustles in to begin the treatment.

The batfish even changes colour...

probably to make parasites
more visible.

Someone else has arrived at the
reef.

The batfish is abandoned.

There's a visitor from the
open ocean

that's worth dropping
everything for.

A manta ray, two metres long,

has come back to a favourite
stretch of reef.

He signals to the manta
by flicking his tail...

..and the giant responds by
unfurling itself for cleaning.

The manta keeps its feeding lobes
rolled up while it swims...

..but a thorough clean keeps
them parasite-free.

This enormous fish would
never visit Japan

if it wasn't for the warmth that
bathes the island chain...

and the helpful services of this
resourceful little wrasse.

The Kuroshio Current brings more
dangerous animals to the islands.

Sea snakes.

At one time, these snakes'
ancestors lived on dry land.

They must still visit the surface
to breathe.

But they are beautifully
adapted to life at sea,

hunting for fish
around the island reefs.

They have some of the most toxic
venom of any animal,

so they don't have many predators.

But as they forage off the coast
of one small island,

their greatest nemesis is
approaching.

Yoko and Setsuko are hunters
and they have a fearsome reputation.

These two 70-year-olds are on a
shopping trip like no other.

Yoko and Setsuko live on the
tiny island of Kudaka.

It's only three miles across
and, with limited space on land,

the locals look to the sea
to provide.

As the sun sets,
the ladies' prey is approaching.

On certain summer nights,

venomous sea snakes move
towards the island

and gather in coastal caves...

..looking for shelter and
fresh water to drink.

But coming ashore on this island
is extremely risky.

It takes some nerve to wade in with
no protective clothing.

Sea snake venom can be ten times
more powerful than a rattlesnake's.

Yoko has been hunting
snakes for 40 years.

It's a skill that's been passed down

the generations here for at least
five centuries.

The snakes will be
dried in this smokehouse

using a secret process known
only by the hunters.

Then they go into a special soup.

The catching and eating of sea
snakes is a very old tradition

on the island of Kudaka, where the
sea provides more than the land.

THEY SPEAK JAPANESE

It's part of a rich island culture
that goes back many centuries.

Kudaka is just off the bigger
island of Okinawa,

right in the centre
of the island chain.

The seas are warm and bountiful,
and the climate is perfect.

In the Okinawan village of Ogimi,

you are still
considered young at 80.

Many people here live
well beyond 100.

Okinawa is famous as a place where
people live longer,

an achievement worth celebrating.

96-year-old Sumiko reckons
it's all about staying active.

She cycles to her vegetable garden
every day.

Others have their own theories.

THEY LAUGH

But the biggest influence of all,
they say, is the Okinawan diet.

Maybe this is what keeps them young.

But there's one ingredient in their
diet that can't be grown on land.

It's another
gift from the bountiful sea.

Around Okinawa,
the warm Kuroshio Current supports

one of the strangest
ways of farming in the world.

The Tsuhako family have made their
living from the sea for generations.

It's harvest time on the family
farm.

ENGINE RUMBLES

This is a field of mozuku.

It's just humble seaweed,

but it has a reputation
as a miracle super food.

It grows naturally,

but Okinawan farmers have set out
an ingenious system of nets

to help it take root...

..and they have a very practical way
of harvesting it.

Mozuku seaweed is one of the most
sought-after dishes in all Japan...

..so every strand is precious.

This farming still relies
on traditional Japanese wisdom.

It's what they call satoumi.

If you work harmoniously with
nature,

the sea will always provide.

This is a man-made environment...

but strange creatures
roam the mozuku beds.

Sea slugs. Some crawl...

..while others fly.

This harmonious way of farming only
works if the conditions are perfect.

Warm water, plenty of nutrients...

and a wide, shallow sea.

It's only here in Okinawa
that they can grow mozuku

on such a massive scale.

On these central islands,

the bountiful sea provides
a charmed way of life.

But further south,
life takes a different turn.

Islands become further
apart in the vastness of the ocean.

With fewer human inhabitants,

these are some of Japan's
most remote island outposts.

Increasing isolation brings a whole
new set of challenges...

..and life has found ever more
inventive ways to get by.

One-and-a-half million years ago,

the island of Iriomote was
joined to the mainland.

When sea levels rose and cut it off,
one animal was left stranded here.

Its descendants have been scratching
a living in the island's

dense forests ever since.

A Ryukyu wild boar.

It spends its day grubbing through
the forest soils,

digging up worms and roots,

just like wild boar the world over.

But life on this island is not
always easy.

It might look like paradise,

but sometimes it's a
struggle to find enough to eat.

In the face of hardship,

something remarkable
happened to the Ryukyu wild boar.

Over the generations, it has shrunk

to half the size
of its mainland cousins.

When you're small,
you need less energy to survive.

They're now just knee-high -
the tiniest wild boar in the world.

But it still has a phenomenal
sense of smell.

BOAR SNIFFS

It's alerted this little pig to
a valuable bounty.

A female green turtle has come
back to the very beach

where she was born.

She's here to lay her eggs.

Then she's off, back to the sea.

A heavily pregnant
and very hungry sow

has come to the beach
looking for eggs.

But she's not the only one.

A male is already rifling the nest.

He certainly won't let her share.

She can only eat when
he's had his fill.

BIRD CAWS

But each nest can contain more
than 100 eggs...

..so there's enough to go around.

Cast away on these remote islands,

you have to be
extra resourceful to survive.

On the tiniest islands,
the challenges get more extreme.

These are places where even
pint-sized pigs can't survive.

Islands like Tarama have been
overrun

by very different life forms...

..creatures of the sea.

Blueberry hermit crabs,

tropical crabs that have
settled on these little islands.

These crabs don't grow
shells of their own.

They make do with
cast-offs from other sea creatures

and they can only grow as big as
their borrowed shell will allow.

Deep in the forest,
there's a very different crab...

..one that only comes out at night.

A robber crab...

the largest land crab in the world.

On these islands,
before people arrived,

there were no big mammals
and a humble crab could become king.

They've become giants.

Some can live for 60 years
and grow to nearly a metre across.

This female is only
about 12 years old...

..so she still has a way to go

before she's a true colossus
of the crab world.

But right now,
she has a more pressing challenge.

For several weeks,
she's been nurturing

thousands of eggs under her tail.

But her babies need to
start their lives in the ocean...

..so this young mum needs to make

the most important journey of her
life...

..and there are some very modern
obstacles in her way.

CAR RUMBLES

DOG BARKS

There's a small village between
her forest home and the ocean.

She must get to the sea in time

for one of the highest tides of the
year.

But when she reaches the shore,
she faces a dangerous situation.

Robber crabs have become
so big and heavy they can't swim.

She needs to summon her nerve

and wade out far enough to release
her precious eggs.

If she gets swept away,
she'll drown.

She's done it.

She can get back to the
safety of dry land...

..leaving her eggs to
hatch in the warmth of the sea.

But all this warmth comes at a
price.

Every summer, these Japanese islands

are swept by
violent tropical storms.

They're born far out to sea
and some grow into typhoons.

The hurricanes of the Pacific.

They draw energy from the warmth
of the tropical sea

and their power is enormous.

If you're going to survive,
you have to be fully prepared.

Over thousands of years,
people have built up defences.

They've designed homes with high
walls and sturdy roofs.

Houses are decorated with
Shisa lion dogs,

ready to ward off evil spirits
and impending disaster.

All along the southwest islands,

people and animals batten down the
hatches as the storms build.

In the forests,
the macaques run for cover

and huddle together for safety.

But at the most south-westerly
point of the island chain,

one animal has come up with a more
ingenious survival strategy.

Yonaguni, 750 miles from the
mainland,

and often the first island to feel
the full force of a typhoon.

This far-flung speck of land is home
to a very resourceful caterpillar.

THUNDER RUMBLES

It has built a
typhoon-resistant shelter...

..an ingenious design of leaves
and silk,

woven together into a perfect
defence against wind and rain.

When they hit land,
typhoon winds can reach 150mph.

The giant cocoon has
withstood the elements.

The caterpillar has been transformed

into one of the most striking
animals on earth...

..an Atlas moth.

She has a wingspan
the size of a dinner plate.

The largest moth in the world.

Now that the typhoons have passed,

she's come out for one purpose
only - to attract a mate.

She gives off pheromones
from her tail.

A male has picked up her scent.

He'll fly three miles to find her.

Once they've mated,
their job is done.

They don't even have mouths,
so they will never eat.

They only have a few days to live...

..but they have defeated the
typhoon.

This is a place of extreme survival,

where the ocean, in all its moods,
drives everything.

Nowhere is that more evident than at
the very furthest extent of Japan.

Just below the surface lies
a great mystery.

The waters around Yonaguni
are so remote,

they've only been
explored in the last few decades.

In 1986, a local diver discovered
something totally unexpected.

He noticed strange
features in the rock.

He saw straight lines
and flat surfaces.

Here was what looked like a
colossal underwater monument.

A terraced sandstone pyramid,
270 metres long and 25 metres high.

But who or what could have made it?

Were those steps
created for people to walk on?

Some now believe these lines
and surfaces

were formed by nature alone.

The simple shearing of rock

in an area known for tremors
and earthquakes.

But others are convinced that this
is a monument

built by a lost civilisation...

..10,000 years ago,
when sea levels were lower.

If it is, this Atlantis
of the Pacific

would rewrite
the history of these islands.

We may never know the truth.

But whether it was shaped
by a lost civilisation

or immense forces of nature,

in the end, it was swallowed
by the rising sea.

All along this chain of islands,
the sea is ultimately in control.

But life has adapted to its fickle
ways...

making the most of opportunities
while it can.

We're in a cave by the sea.

There's a 70-year-old lady down there
catching sea snakes...

..with her bare hands!

One of the team's more unusual
experiences

was on the island of Kudaka filming
sea snake hunting.

A privileged insight into the lives
of two extraordinary women...

..who maintain an ancient tradition.

The tiny island of Kudaka is just
a short ferry ride

from the main island of Okinawa.

Producer David Marks and cameraman
Robin Cox are keen to meet

one of the island's
legendary snake hunters...

..72-year-old Yoko Fukuchi.

THEY SPEAK JAPANESE

"You're very
cute," that's what she's saying.

It's a very quiet island.

Fewer than 200 people live here.

It's a place with a rich history
and culture.

Rituals like this are performed all
year round to appease the gods

and ward off misfortune.

THEY SING

Yoko and her friend Setsuko are not
only hunters,

they were once Kaminchu,
priestesses of high status

with special privileges
to hunt snakes.

They were made Kaminchu on this same
patch of ground in 1978.

The initiation ceremony
was called Izaiho

and this was the last time it
was ever performed.

As Japan has modernised,
many traditions were lost.

After more than five centuries,

Yoko and Setsuko are now
the last in their line

who know the old ways.

Sea snakes have been hunted
here for centuries.

It's another tradition that
may soon be lost.

Despite their age, Yoko and Setsuko
are the only ones left

on the island who still hunt.

The team has been granted special
permission to film them,

but they have to work in the dark
so they don't scare off the snakes.

(I can see about 20 snakes in here.)

(She gets right to the
back of the cave.)

For Yoko and Setsuko,
this ancient way of hunting

requires intense concentration.

The nearest hospital is across
the water in Okinawa,

so if the ladies were bitten they
probably wouldn't survive.

As the snakes swim in on
the surge of water,

the ladies pick them
out with their torches.

But years of experience mean

they can sense the movement of the
snakes in the dark.

Yoko's poised to strike.

She's got a massive
snake in her hands.

The team want to get shots of Yoko
actually catching the snakes,

but with such a cramped
space to work in

they need some special technology.

What does it say?

It's not saying anything.

Basically, we're trying to get
the camera and my smartphone to

talk to each other so we can put
the camera in the water where the

sea snakes are, and we can turn it on
and off and focus and do all

the things we need it to do with it,
but at the moment it's not working.

Well, she got another one.

So while we've got all this
ridiculous technological nonsense

going on, Yoko is just happily
plucking the odd snake

out of the water
every five or ten minutes.

It's working, yay.
Look at that. It looks good.

With the technical problems solved,

someone has to actually
get in the cave.

David has volunteered,
but he'll need some protection.

Yoko is not wearing any gloves.

No, Yoko doesn't wear gloves,

but I'm not putting my hands
in water with sea snakes

crawling everywhere without
any gloves on.

YOKO LAUGHS

What's so funny?

Why are you laughing?

Why are you laughing, Yoko?

When the night's hunting is over,

the team discover they only got a
few shots of Yoko's legs.

The next day, the team are invited
to Yoko's house.

She's prepared snake
soup for them to eat.

We're filming...

snake and now
it's time to eat snake.

I'm resisting the urge to
say it tastes like chicken.

It doesn't taste like chicken.

It's pretty smoky, isn't it?

It's a bit snaky.

For the team, it's an unusual meal,
but it's a great honour.

This dish was once reserved only
for the island's kings.

There is only one
night of filming left.

The team haven't yet got the shots
they need of Yoko hunting,

but they have discovered a second
entrance to the cramped cave.

Unlike the ladies, cameraman Robin
is taking all precautions.

Put the hood on. There you go!

He's squeezed himself into a tiny

hole and is now surrounded
by venomous sea snakes,

but he's finally in a position to
capture the action.

OK, she just got a pretty big snake.

Just saw it just swimming
underneath my feet here

and then it went in a crack in the
rock and she came and grabbed it,

caught it and stuffed it in her bag,

so I think we've got the shots
that we were waiting for

and I think I can get
out of here now, please.

It's been a successful
night for Yoko and Setsuko too.

That was astonishing. Pretty amazing.

I mean, can you imagine...?

My mum, most evenings, has a glass of
wine or two and watches some telly.

You can't imagine your mum knee-deep
in water,

writhing with deadly snakes, picking
them up and putting them in a bag.

Next time, we head to Hokkaido -
Japan's northern frontier.

Life is ruled by
its extreme seasons.

Survival means being tough...

BIRDS SQUAWK

BIRD SQUAWKS

..and forging unlikely alliances.

It's Japan's wildest island.